| Tuesday, January 15, 2008 |
The Mobile County Public School System has four of the nine schools receiving the state's prestigious Torchbearer designation for doing well on standardized tests despite mostly serving economically disadvantaged students.
They are: Anna Booth Elementary in Bayou La Batre, Burroughs Elementary in Theodore, George Hall Elementary in Mobile's Maysville community and Indian Springs Elementary in Eight Mile, according to the list released Monday.
The Alabama Department of Education has been designating schools as Torchbearers each year for the past several years. The state toughened the requirements this year, though, resulting in greatly reducing the number from the 26 schools named last year.
Officials at the four schools said they received a letter from the state Friday notifying them of the award. The principals at each of the winning schools will be recognized at an awards luncheon later this month in Montgomery. And the schools will receive $15,000 apiece.
Lisa Williams, principal at Booth Elementary, said that though her school has been named a Torchbearer for three consecutive years, the thrill of winning doesn't go away.
She gave credit to her teachers and the school's participation in the Alabama Reading First program.
"Our teachers are excellent, and they work at full capacity literally every moment every instructional day," Williams said. "Their dedication often brings tears to my eyes. They believe in the children of Bayou La Batre."